For those unfamiliar with the concept, “unicorn teams… are those opponents who, inexplicably, you find success against. In a year of only 11 wins, 3 are now against this team. It’s certainly nice to see Zadina with the game winner for all who remember his comments after being passed over att the draft. In truth, Filip Zadina has become a better player in a stressful situation and that is impressive. He seems to love it.
To Detroit’s credit, they played a fairly complete game. The short handed goal against in the first was unfortunate, but Detroit still controlled the play. The second period was similar with an unfortunate power play tally against. Frans Nielsen broke through for 2 goals tonight and that was a much needed break. With only 3 goals on the season, it has been tough sledding for the former Islander. Robby Fabbri netted a beauty as well. Mike Green assisted on one of Nielsen’s goals with a fantastic neutral zone pass and an even better finish. It was a reminder of how good Nielsen has been on the shootout throughout his career.
More than anything, this was a fun game to watch for Detroit fans. There was a lot of good energy, physical play (Givanni Smith got his first NHL point), and no sense of “quit… from the Red Wings squad. Detroit’s three goal third period was the first of it’s kind since October. Jonathan Bernier kept the club in during some tough stretches and the guys rewarded him for the effort.
The shine is returning to Filip Zadina with his recent performance. Possibly good enough to remain with the club for the remainder of the season. It should be encouraging to Joe Veleno (fresh off a gold medal at the WJC with team Canada). The first year in the AHL was very difficult for Zadina, as it has been for Veleno, but Joe looked good at the WJC. He (along with McIsaac) got to experience a tournament win on a very high level of competition. while on that note, Moritz Seider had 6 points for Germany in that tournament and is turning a lot of heads as a young defenseman.
For Red Wings fans, this game is worth some space on your DVR. As rare as wins have been, this was a fun one to watch. For Montreal, they seem to be searching for answers. Shea Weber is still an outstanding defenseman (with 12 goals on the season), Kovalchuk seems to be a fantastic pickup for Montreal, Max Domi is a player you have to keep a close eye on. Tatar looks really good. The skills are there, the club just needs to get on a roll. As frustrating as the losses have been to Detroit, they aren’t really indicative of how much that club has going for it. Things just need to click.
I’m curios as to what the “celebration song… is for Detroit. If anyone knows, please post it in the comments.
Detroit will face Ottawa on Friday, a club that has been a handful for this team. We’ll take a look at some of their numbers before the game and see if any momentum will carry over from tonight.
Thanks so much to everyone who stops by to read and comment. Keep it coming!